Good afternoon. What a warm welcome. It's certainly an honor to be here today at the McAllen Performing Arts Center. We gather to mark a milestone for Valeo, for the City of McAllen, and for the future of the automotive industry.
Today, we do more than just move soil. We plant a flag for innovation. We commit to a partnership, a partnership that will span decades. and we start a journey that will change the way the world moves.
As we've already heard today, this is a groundbreaking moment for the City of McAllen, as Valeo becomes the first major industrial manufacturer to plant its flag here in McAllen, opening a new chapter of growth for the region.
It's also a groundbreaking investment for Valeo. We've planned $225 million of investment over the next five years in a multi-staged approach, as we've heard about today, we plan on a 337,000 square-foot facility. That's nearly eight acres of innovation under one roof.
We're also making a groundbreaking leap in technology. The central compute we're producing for General Motors will enable the next generation of mobility. These units process vast amounts of data from sensors and cameras, and they control essential functions, making driving safer and smarter. We absolutely thank General Motors for your trust. We are deeply proud to support your vision for the future. This project strengthens our bond and allows us to grow our business together right here in Texas.
So why McAllen? Well, I mean, speakers before me made that crystal clear. We have the workforce, we have the amazing community, we have the overall readiness. It's all here. Next Is Now suits you McAllen and it absolutely suits Valeo.
So as we heard, this is the largest single industrial investment in the history of Hidalgo County. Very exciting. We're very proud of that, and it's a responsibility that we absolutely take to heart. We're here to work with you and to contribute to the success of this community. Sure, this location meets several business imperatives, but the people in this room made the choice to come to McAllen very easy.
From the beginning, officials and partners at every level met us with determination, commitment and certainly a lot of enthusiasm. We're excited about our journey ahead with all of you.
I’d like to also recognize and thank the Valeo teams that made this possible today, to the Valeo engineers and technical teams. The technology we're celebrating today, the brain of the vehicle, certainly didn't happen by accident. It's a result of your creativity, your late nights and your absolute refusal to accept anything less than perfection. You have designed a system that will set the gold standard.
And to our project and operations teams who have worked tirelessly on the development of this new site, thank you. From the first drawings to the logistics of today's groundbreaking your coordination has been seamless. You are the architects of our growth, and I'm incredibly proud of the teamwork that brought us to this stage.
A project of this magnitude requires a chorus of partners. I must absolutely thank Mayor Villalobos and the McAllen City Commission. Your leadership created an environment where technology companies can absolutely thrive. I thank the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, Elizabeth Suarez, Ralph Garcia, your entire team who provided the data, the site visits, the coordination we needed to make this decision with confidence. I
I want to thank our development partner, CIL Capital. Joaquin Spamer, your commitment to this project ensures that we have a world-class facility that matches our world-class technology. Thank you.
I also recognize the many other partners in the room. This includes our friends from Hidalgo County, the Texas Workforce Commission and our local universities. Your efforts to align education and infrastructure with the needs of the private sector ensure a bright future for us here at McAllen. While we talk about technology, the future of mobility, the real story of Valeo McAllen is about people. It's about the individuals who will walk through our doors to build careers. It's about the students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and South Texas College, among others, who have a path to the forefront of automotive engineering right here in McAllen.
We are proud to contribute to the economic strength of South Texas. We are proud to be part of the community that values opportunity and hard work. In a few moments, we will take up our shovels. But we already have a strong foundation. A foundation that is built on trust between Valeo and our dear partners at General Motors. And it is built on the cooperation between our company and the City of McAllen, the County of Hidalgo and the State of Texas.
To all of you, thank you for the incredibly warm welcome. We are ready to build the future of mobility together.
Editor's Note: The above commentary was provided by Jeffrey Shay, president of Valeo North America, at a press conference held at McAllen Performing Arts Center to announce a $225 million high-tech plant in McAllen.
